Interview: “Weird Al” Yankovic

When comedian, musician, and parodist “Weird Al” Yankovic broke through to the mainstream in the ’80s thanks to hits like “Eat It” and “Fat” (parodies of Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” and “Bad,” respectively), it was something of a coup for nerds. There on MTV, wedged between Madonna and Bruce Springsteen, was a frizzy-haired, four-eyed oddball who played it so straight that his parodies were almost indistinguishable from the originals (unless, of course, you paid attention to the clever lyrics.) Among the ’80s pop bombast and sheen was Al, a goofball who, to paraphrase a Yankovic song title, dared to be stupid.[ Click here for more ]